Days after the passing of producer Larry Smith, a special episode of The Halftime Show on 89.1FM WNYU aired last week in the musician’s honor.
During the episode, which lasted for two and a half hours, DJ Eclipse played a number of records Larry Smith played a part in creating, including Run DMC’s “Darryl And Joe (Krush-Groove 3)” and “Sucker MC’s,” Whodini’s “Freaks Come Out At Night,” and Kurtis Blow’s “Daydreamin’.”
The episode also welcomed interviews from rapper Spyder-D, producer DJ Premier, and Smith’s son, Larry Smith, Jr. While speaking on Smith, Spyder-D shared the story of the recording session that resulted in Smith creating what later became the beat to Run DMC’s 1984 record, “Rock Box.”
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“The last couple of times I went to New York, I had went to visit Larry,” Spyder-D said. “And I told him that I was going to start a campaign to get him nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. I think he deserves to be there. One real quick story, I was in the studio at Chung King Studios with Russell, Rick Rubin, Larry. D and Run came in and laid some vocals on a track and then broke out. It was plenty of time in the session. So, Larry pulled out his bass and he just started riffing. He said ‘Yo, yo let’s lay this down.’ And that was the hellish bassline that became ‘Rock Box.’ And I’m sitting there as a young producer I’m mesmerized by the drive.”
During his interview on The Halftime Show, Larry Smith, Jr. shared the details of what led to his father’s passing. The 20-year-old revealed that Smith suffered from a stroke years ago and as a result, his body gradually began to deteriorate.
“I was like 12 or 11 and he had a stroke,” Smith’s son said. “And over time because he didn’t react as fast, it paralyzed him. He couldn’t talk or walk no more. And then, you know, over the years his body deteriorated. And he was a little older and stuff, so that happened more quickly. And I say around 2013, his health started to decline. So, basically he had some breathing problems. He was a dude that always was active, so him just not being able to move around, it was hurting him more than anything.”
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Larry Smith passed away on December 18. News of his death was made public in a tweet sent by radio show host, Combat Jack.
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The Halftime Show Larry Smith Tribute 12/24/14 by Itsdjeclipse on Mixcloud
